Helen Jones

Labour Party | Warrington North

PROACTIVE POLICIES FOR HOUSING OFFICERS

Firstly,   I would like to thank everyone who wrote to me in response to the story in the ‘Midweek Guardian’ (15th April 2003) highlighting my call for a more proactive policy towards anti-social behaviour by our housing officers.  Your comments have been supportive with particular concerns being expressed at the ‘inequality of standards’ as one letter described it.  Many tenants feel that action taken on their estates is not comparable to action taken in other areas around Warrington.  It is an issue I will be continuing to pursue with the borough council,  armed as I now am with your comments and experiences – please keep them coming in.

There are an estimated 9,000  people in my constituency,  (19,000 across the borough),  who care for someone who is ill,  disabled or frail.  They do a fantastic job.   I continue to work and have discussions with individual carers and care based organisations working in Warrington North.  One of their major concerns has been the problems which surrounded benefit payments for people admitted to hospital.  It was the case that benefits would be reduced after the first six weeks of a hospital stay and the reapplication process turned into a nightmare for many.  The problems were raised in Parliament by myself and other colleagues and  we obtained some success last year when,  as reported in the ‘Guardian’,  the government agreed to increase to 13 weeks the time a person could remain in hospital before a reduction in benefits took effect.

The Budget,  on 9th April,  went much further.  The rules were simplified and with immediate effect abolished any benefit cuts for the first 52 weeks of a hospital stay.  The financial disruption caused by the old system which so distressed many carers was removed.  It was good to see this campaign produce such positive results and make a real difference.

One area of caring in which there remains a shortage,  and were people can help make a real difference,  is foster care.  It is usually a temporary way of offering children and young people a home until they can return to their own families,  and has a vital role to play in keeping families together.  Foster care is demanding but also very rewarding and 8,000 more foster carers are needed nationwide.  The Fostering Network will be launching its Foster Care Fortnight on 12th May.  It is a recruitment campaign well worthy of support.  Should anyone require further information they can contract my constituency office.

To contact Helen Jones MP :   write to  Gilbert Wakefield House,  67 Bewsey Street,  Warrington,  WA2 7JQ or to House of Commons,  Westminster,  London,  SW1A 0AA :
Phone – 01925 232 480: Fax – 01925 232 239:  e-mail - jonesh@parliament.uk